Non-PTS editions of Pali texts

Some important non-PTS editions of the Pali canon


1. King Chulalongkorn Edition 1893

The King Chulalongkorn edition, also referred to as the Rama V edition, was published in Bangkok in 1893 in Thai script. It was the first printed edition of an almost complete Canon. Scans of 37 of the 39 volumes of this edition can be downloaded for free from  the Internet Archive site; volumes 29 and 31 are apparently missing. As the volumes are not conveniently grouped on the site a link is provided below for each volume. This edition omits eight Khuddakanikāya texts: Vimānavatthu, Petavatthu, Theragāthā, Therīgāthā, Jātaka, Apadāna, Buddhavaṃsa, Cariyāpiṭaka.

1. Vinaya I, 2. Vinaya II, 3. Vinaya III, 4. Vinaya IV, 5. Vinaya V, 6. Vinaya VI, 7. Vinaya VII, 8. Vinaya VIII

9. Dīghanikāya I, 10. Dīghanikāya II, 11. Dīghanikāya III

12. Majjhimanikāya I, 13. Majjhimanikāya III, 14. Majjhimanikāya III

15. Saṃyuttanikāya I, 16. Saṃyuttanikāya II, 17. Saṃyuttanikāya III, 18. Saṃyuttanikāya IV, 19. Saṃyuttanikāya V

20. Aṅguttaranikāya 1–3, 21. Aṅguttaranikāya 4, 22. Aṅguttaranikāya 5–6, 23. Aṅguttaranikāya 7–9, 24. Aṅguttaranikāya 10–11

25. Khuddakapāṭha, Dhammapada, Udāna, Itivuttaka, Suttanipāta, 26. Mahāniddesa, 27. Cūḷaniddesa, 28. Paṭisambhidāmagga

[29. Dhammasaṅgaṇi,] 30. Vibhaṅga, [31. Dhātukathā, Puggalapaññatti,] 32. Kathāvatthu, 33. Yamaka I, 34. Yamaka II, 35. Yamaka III, 36. Paṭṭhāna I, 37. Paṭṭhāna II, 38. Paṭṭḥāna III, 39. Paṭṭhāna IV

2. Kingdom of Siam Edition 1925–1928

The 45 volumes of the Kingdom of Siam edition, or Syamaraṭṭhassa Tepiṭakaṃ, were published between 1925 in Bangkok in Thai script. It essentially completes and updates the Chulalongkorn 1893 edition. A digital version of this edition was available on Mahidol University’s BUDSIR site, but this site no longer seems to be functioning.

3. Sixth Council Edition 1950–1962

This edition in Burmese script was published in Rangoon in connection with the Sixth Council (chaṭṭhasaṃgīti), held in Rangoon in 1956 to mark the 2500th anniversary of the Buddha’s birth according to the traditional reckoning. It is  a comprehensive and much used edition of the canon, commentaries and subcommentaries. Scans of the original volumes (or in some cases reprints) can be downloaded for free from the website of the Kaba Aye Buddha Research Library. (You can set the site to display the main menu in English by clicking the button on the right marked ‘Eng’.)

PDF files of this edition (including commentaries and subcommentaries) transliterated into Roman script can be downloaded from the website of Buddismo Theravada Hispano.

A searchable online digital version of this edition (input and published by the Vipassana Research Instiute, Igatpuri, India) is available via the Pāli Tipiṭaka site.

4. Nalanda Devanāgari Pali Series 1957–1961

The Nālanda Devanāgarī Pali Series (1957–1961) is an edition of the complete canon in Devanāgarī script. For the most part it is based on the Burmese Sixth Council edition. Scans of most of the volumes are available to download on the Internet Archive site.

5. Buddha Jayanti Tripitaka (1957–1989) in Sinhala script

Scans of these volumes can be downloaded for free from  the Internet Archive site: Vinaya-piṭaka, Sutta-piṭaka, Abhidhamma-piṭaka

A digitized version in Roman script is avaialable on the GRETIL site under Tipitaka.

6. Simon Hewavitarne Bequest Commentary series

Scans of these important editions of the commentaries in Sinhala script can be downloaded for free from  the Internet Archive site: Vinaya-piṭaka commentaries, Sutta-piṭaka commentaries, Abhidhamma-piṭaka commentaries